Hi, the Channel people. I come across your site and am planning to buy a few recordings. However, I would like to learn, since you order multiple formats, how do you offer multiple formats?

It is known that the majority of the today joints that delivery multiple formats have severely compromised in-house procedures how the formats are created. In most case the people who work in there do not understand themselves what they do and for us consumers is very difficult to get any sense of sensibility. So, my question is: would you describe how you make multiple formats available and I would like to get the closest copy to master file with as less as possible DSP processing.

As I understand you record in DSD (witch is unfortunately) and then do editing in PCM. So, my question is: the 192/24, 96/24 and files that you mike available you create from final post mastering DSD file or you create those files from post-master PCM file. Do you master in 192K with higher bit rates or you master in 384K and then drop it to 192/24? Which file you have available for public went over fewer amounts of PCM/PCM or PCM/DSD conversions?

Thank you for your question, and interest in our recordings. All channel Classics recordings since 2001 are recorded in native DSD format. What's gives Channel its unique spacious realistic sound is the absence of just the conversions you mention.

All sessions are mixed and balanced in analog for stereo with a custom built mixing desk driven by purpose built microphone preamps and unique carbon filled cable. You can learn about Jared's recording approach and equipment both at the site General Info > About Recording Equipment, and this Beethoven recording session video:

http://www.channelclassics.com/Superaudio/

To your editing question, editing is done using Pyramix Workstations in DSD format. Since all of Jared's recordings are studio (concert hall, churches, etc.) he chooses the recording venue to scale and compliment the artists and music, eliminating need for DSP post processing like EQ and reverb. As long as there is no requirement for level changes, (the reason for building the stereo mix of all mic levels in analog at the recording session), Pyramix will perform edits and crossfades in native DSD, without DXD/PCM conversions. The resulting DSD file, called the Edit Master, is then the mother for all delivery formats. It is authored to DST format for manufacturing SACDs, and converted with Weiss Saracon to yield the 44.1 KHz/24bit, 96 KHz/24bit, and 192 KHz/24bit PCM formats for download. The stereo DSD Edit Master is also the DSD download, without DRM.

The ultimate file format that is the actual archival of the analog mix is the DSD download. For customers not being able to take advantage of DSD download availability, the various FLAC PCM formats offered have just one DSD to PCM conversion.

Thank you again for your question, and we hope you enjoy your Channel Classics downloads.

My secondary interest was to find out if record in PCM parallel to DSD. Apparently not. The DSD editing you do in Pyramix in reality is not DSD as they run internally PCM at 352kHz, so an edited DSD file is not true DSD but a result of multiple double conversion. From my attitude you might figure out that I am not a huge DSD fan, at least the 1 bit version that everyone sold nowadays but I guess it is what it is. I look forward to try you 4x recordings. BTW, you told that you recorded Bruckner 7, when will it become available? Was it with “interesting“ orchestra and stimulating performance? My tail is kind of trembling…

It is the format that nearly all recording studios (even the big boys) archive their master files in. To hear the true value of the format you have to listen to it in its native form. This requires a DSD capable DAC (these are not exactly cheap) and equipment to match. It does make listening to this format an expensive business but to me it is vinyl in digital form.

It is good to debate the pros and cons of DSD v PCM so I look forward to hearing from you.

Roman, you are correct about Pyramix converting a DSD file to DXD for everything except splicing, and in editing, outside the crossfade region. Pyramix will do butt splicing without conversion, and only converts to DXD in editing during the crossfade interval, typically tenth's of a second.

Channel Classics microphone mix, and level setting is preformed in analog at the session, for the stereo release. Stereo downloads, and the stereo content on an SACD were recorded in DSD, edited in DSD, and released in DSD. I agree that labels recording (tracking) all microphones at full level, then using Pyramix in pot processing to to set the levels for the mix are actually DXD productions.